Lost in Muggle Land
by fantasyfix
Summary: Hermione runs into her old potions professor in Tokyo and finds she had more in common with him that she realized. Based on the film Lost in Translation. You DON'T need to have seen the film to read this fic. So read it:D Please rate/review HG/SS
1. Lost

Hermione had finished seven years of schooling at Hogwarts and as a result has passed with flying colours. No professor could deny she was one of the most impressive, talented students they had ever taught and would surely go on to enjoy a bright future ahead.

Shortly after leaving Hogwarts, Hermione married Ron. Many said they had rushed into the marriage, but the couple were adamant that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

Ron quickly found work as a geologist, enabling him to travel the world. Hermione, however, found it surprisingly difficult to find her ideal career path in the muggle world.

She often considered venturing into medicine or accountancy; a job which would use her intellect well. Yet these did not work for her as effectively as wizardry and as a result, she felt incompetent in them.

Hermione could not help but feel a slight bitterness as Ron would leave their home to travel for weeks at a time whilst she lived guiltily in a flat he was paying for, anxiously trying to find work.

Hermione's stressed reached it's peak when Ron came home after two weeks in Kenya, only to announce he would shortly be leaving to work in Tokyo for a month.

Fearful that her and her new husband were drifting apart, whilst also feeling a great need for a change of scenery, Hermione said she would go with him. Ron seemed confused by her wanting to accompany him, yet was completely willing.

A week later, Hermione sat by a gigantic window, sixty floors up in the Park Hyatt hotel Tokyo. It had been a year since she married and finished school. She should have been at the peak of her life, yet all she could feel as she stared down at the busy city streets was emptiness. She was in an amazing part of the world, married to the man she had always wanted, yet something was lost. . .

o

The professor had been so exhausted after the long-haul flight from London to Tokyo, that he dozed off as soon as he sat down in the taxi, resting his head against the window. A few moments later, he was awoken by a ray of dazzling neon-lights in the night sky. He gently opened his sleepy eyes and ran a hand through his dark hair. This new environment was a far-stretch from the old castle he was used to.

As the taxi continued, he was greeted with numerous signs in the Japanese language, which meant nothing to him. The professor was out of his comfort zone, stripped of his magic and it made him feel intimidated – although this was a fact he would never be let known.

He simply let out a shuddered sigh and lay back down in his seat, resting a hand over his eyes to block it all out.

o

When arriving at the Park Hyatt hotel, the professor was greeted by three people from the Tokyo university, where he was due to lecture for the week. They greeted him in broken English and the professor was as polite as he knew how to be.

After arranging that they would meet him in the lobby the next morning, the three of them gave him the traditional head-bow that is used in Japan.

The professor looked at the miffed for a while, then simply replied with, "Um, yes. Goodbye."

He then made his way to his hotel room. He felt slightly awkward whilst going up in the lift as at six foot one, he towered over the other Japanese business men around him.

When the professor entered his room, he found a kimono laid across his king-size bed. After trying it on, he looked in the mirror and saw the biggest idiot he had ever seen. He gave a sneer, tore off the kimono and frequently decided the best thing he could do was go down to the bar.

o

The bar felt inviting. There was soothing piano music accompanied with the pretty voice of a red-haired woman.

The professor sat alone at the bar, avidly smoking a cigarette with one hand and nursing a double scotch on the rocks with the other.

The was conversation all around him, yet he had no desire to converse himself. However, it was not long before he was rudely awakened from his relaxed solitude.

"Mr Snape?"

The professor looked up at an American man of about twenty years old. "Mr Snape, is it really you?"

"It's professor Snape," he replied, with a strained smile.

"I saw your lecture over in Berkeley three months ago. You're amazing! Not like any lecturer I've ever seen before."

Snape was not surprised by this, as he was yet to be impressed by a muggle professor himself. "Thank you."

"That bio-physics presentation was genius. Out of this world, man! So are you lecturing over here now?"

"I am"

"I'm here on an internship."

Snape barely heard him as he got up out of his seat and started to move away.

"See you later pro!"

"Catch you later!" Snape said mockingly, as he left.

The American student sat back and smiled, oblivious to Snape's mocking him.

o

Severus Snape lay in bed, desperate for sleep to come to him. He looked over to his clock on the beside table and saw that it was after four in the morning. He breathed a heavy sigh, wondering how the hell he would get through the day ahead.

Little did he know that one of his former students was also struggling with insomnia, just a few floors above him.

o

Hermione was again sat by the window looking across Tokyo's skyline. She had tried to sleep, but Ron's relentless snoring had put a stop to it.

Defiantly, Hermione climbed back into bed, hoping to get Ron's attention.

"Ron? Are you awake?"

Ron woke up and embraced Hermione, telling her to go to sleep. Hermione felt happy in this embrace, but this was short-lived when Ron began to snore again.

Annoyed, Hermione again got out of bed and sat by the window.

o

The morning felt unwelcome to Snape, who by eight o'clock had only been able to get two and a half hours sleep. He reluctantly rose out of bed and took a look out of the window to the foreign city. He saw nothing but chaos, a place he could not make sense out of.

He proceeded to the bathroom to use the shower – which was designed for a man of almost half his height.

o

Hermione was woken by Ron's messing around, hurriedly trying to get ready for work. He threw a load of papers into his backpack and put on his jacket.

Hermione had been watching him for some time, but he had not noticed her until she spoke. "Do you have to go to work right now?"

"Yup."

Hermione felt disappointed. She had spent most of her days in Tokyo alone. Her plans for the trip to bring her and Ron together did not appear to be working.

"For how long?"

"I dunno. I'll give you a call when I'm on my way back. I love you. I'll see you later."

Ron's words were rushed as he dashed out of the room.

Hermione breathed a deep sigh, not knowing what to do with the day. Japan was a place with amazing culture. Surely if she went exploring for the day, she would see some amazing sights.

Hermione jumped into the shower and got ready. She pulled on a black jumper with a casual black skirt and left the room.

She waited for the lift and got inside. She stood facing the doors for a while, yet could not help but feel a strange presence behind her. She slowly turned around and met the eyes of her old potions teacher, professor Snape. Hermione caught her breath as she could not believe how different he looked. He was not in his robes, but was wearing a shirt like an ordinary guy! It looked as though he had even had his hair trimmed.

Hermione was too bewildered to find the right words to greet him, so she gave him an embarrassed smile. He nodded in response. They then both stared ahead, not knowing what to make of their surprise meeting.


	2. Who did I marry?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, Lost in Translation or the Park Hyatt Hotel XD

Severus had not recognised Hermione when she entered the lift, as he was not paying attention as to who was boarding. It was only when he noticed a mane of glossy brown curly hair which stood out amongst the Japanese, that she had his attention.

Even then, he was not sure it was her. He remembered Hermione as a pesky schoolgirl, yet this girl had the body of a woman.

Severus felt speechless when Hermione turned around to completely face him, for he saw she had blossomed into a sophisticated young woman.

The tension inside him had risen when her face lit up with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. She looked slightly nervous, which made her look insanely cute.

Severus found himself only able to nod in response, then proceeded to stare at the floor until she left, eager to hide his feelings away.

o

Hermione felt relieved when she reached her floor and walked out of the lift with weak legs. She did not understand why she felt so flustered. There would be no reason at all why they would be pleased to run into each other. After all, they had never got on.

o

Severus tried to put his meeting with Hermione out of his mind to concentrate on the day ahead.

In the lobby, he was greeted once again by the people from the university, who introduced him to Yoko, his translator for the week.

"Professor, the university asked if you would consider staying here until Friday," Yoko said.

A feeling of horror passed through Severus. "What on earth for?"

"The university was hoping you would stay long enough to do a talk for the students and perhaps a question and answers session. These talks are often very inspiring for the students."

_There's nothing inspiring about me_, Severus thought. "I appreciate them asking, but I will have to check my schedule. I believe I may have a prior arrangement."

"We understand, Professor Snape."

o

Severus was escorted by taxi to the Tokyo university, which looked extremely high-tech. He thought back to Hogwarts and realised how more suited he was to working there; not only because he was free to use magic and potions. He also thought Hogwarts had more depth and history to it. He was not comfortable with the modernity of Tokyo University, yet maybe he was just feeling his age.

Before the lecture began, Severus looked through his diary and saw that he was indeed free on Friday. This was bad news to him and he decided to keep it a secret.

He made his way into the lecture hall, daunted by the size of it and the amount of students there. He stood at the front, facing a microphone. Yoko joined him at his side.

"Let us start, then. As I believe you already know, my name is Severus Snape and I will be hosting your lecture today."

Yoko immediately spoke through her own microphone in what Snape assumed to be the Japanese equivalent of what he had just said. Severus felt confused because Yoko took about ten times longer than him to speak. It felt as if she had added more.

Severus noticed a young girl in the front row launching her hand up, looking enthusiastic. This threw Severus, as he was unable to even say "yes" in Japanese.

He turned and whispered to Yoko. "Perhaps you'd better deal with that."

Yoko spoke to the young girl and they seemed to be conversing for a long time. Severus let his eyes wander whilst he started to lose concentration.

"Professor?" Yoko said.

"Yes?"

"She wants to know if you are doing the talk on Friday."

Severus felt bewildered. "Is that all? You were talking for ages!"

"Yes. Are you doing the talk on Friday, is what she said."

The professor breathed a heavy sigh. This was going to be a long lecture.

o

Hermione rode the Tokyo underground without a particular plan of where she was going, as she barely knew the city.

She ended up in a rural area, quite a way out from the city centre. She found herself in a pretty village and noticed a shrine. She quietly poked her head through the doorway and looked inside. She saw about ten monks on the floor chanting and one monk was hitting a drum.

Hermione watched for a while and felt like such a scene should be inspiring her or feeding her imagination, but it didn't. Feeling disheartened, Hermione left.

o

Hermione sat on the floor of her hotel room in a deep sadness. She had never felt so lost and alone. Desperate to speak to someone, she rang Ginny, who she had remained good friends with.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ginny?"

"Oh hi Hermione! How is Tokyo?"

"It's great here. I don't know. . . I went to this shrine today and there was these monks there and they were chanting and I didn't feel anything, you know? . . . I even tried using Ikebana. Ron's using the same kind of things and. . . I just don't know who I married."

Ginny sounded distracted. "Could you hold on a second, Hermione?"

"Okay." Hermione's breathing got heavier and she realised she was starting to cry.

"Sorry Hermione. What were you saying?"

"Nothing. I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Okay. Have the best time."

"Bye."

Hermione hung up and buried her head in her hands. She did not know why she had said what she said about Ron and she felt stupid for her little outburst. She was thankful Ginny had not listened to her.


	3. Meeting Candy

Sorry for the delay. I had to nip over to New York last week:)

Hermione lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She had finished her cry and was now feeling more relaxed; almost sleepy. She told herself she just had to keep her mind off things and keep busy.

With that, she remembered the wind-chime she had brought whilst she was out that morning. It was pink and made up with plastic flowers.

She decided to hang it off the light on the ceiling. She stood on the bed to do this and attached the wind-chime to the light. A slight smile crossed her face as she thought it looked pretty.

_There you go Hermione_, she thought. _You do still have some good ideas._

She then stepped off the bed and stubbed her toe on the corner of the dressing table opposite. She grabbed her foot and fell back on the bed, groaning in pain. All the same, she could not help but laugh at the irony of it all.

O

Around an hour later, Ron returned to the hotel room, eagerly telling Hermione all about his day at work and how excited he was to have visited the Mount Asama volcano. Hermione listened and tried her best to look enthusiastic, although inside she felt jealous of not having such an exciting project herself..

She considered telling him about her own day, but decided against it; not wanting to go into detail about how it had left her feeling.

O

"I am NOT staying here until Friday!"

Since becoming a freelance lecturer, Severus' only constant work colleague was Jane, who took care of his secretarial work. She was a hard-worker, which Severus appreciated. She was also an independent thinker, which he did not always appreciate.

Severus had been standing in a corridor of the university for some time, arguing on his mobile with Jane, who believed it was in his best interest to host the talk on Friday.

"Professor, please consider it. This could be so good for your reputation and do you realise how much extra they are willing to pay you? You just can't miss out on this!" Jane said.

"Oh come on, woman. The money means nothing to me. What would I do with such an amount of money?"

"If I were you, Professor, I would take a much-deserved holiday. You do realise that people need holidays once in a while, don't you?"

Severus sneered. "Some people might, but do you really see me lying on a beach in the Costa del Sol in a pair of swimming shorts? I don't think so, Jane. It's just not my scene."

"Well if not, then it's always good to invest."

"No amount of money is worth the headache I'm having out here at the moment. Never mind the pay or my reputation, I need to be on a plane on Thursday. I have to get out of here!"

Jane noted the hint of weariness in his voice. "If you insist, Professor."

Severus fiddled with his phone for a while, trying to figure out how to turn it off.

"Muggle junk!"

O

Hermione and Ron had just finished their dinner in the hotel restaurant. They were making their way back to their hotel room, when they were approached by a bubbly-blonde girl.

"Hey Ron!"

Ron's face lit up. "Candy! I didn't know you were staying here!"

"What are the chances?" The two of them embraced like old school friends.

Ron put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "This is my wife, Hermione."

The two girls greeted each other and shook hands.

"Oh wow, I had no idea you were married." Part of the spark went out of Candy's eyes.

Hermione smiled nervously, partly feeling uneasy at Candy's obvious displeasure of meeting her and partly uneasy to learn that Ron had never bothered to mention his wife at all.

"Candy and I have been working together at Mount Asama." Ron explained to Hermione.

"Ah, I see."

Candy then went into enthusiastic conversation with Ron about their work together. Hermione stood between them awkwardly, feeling incapable to contribute.

"So Ron, tell me what your plans are for your next job when you're all finished with Tokyo." Candy said.

Ron hesitated. "Actually. . . I don't have any. I'm yet to find a next project. Of course, I've still got plenty of time to look."

"Of course," Hermione agreed. "And you know, perhaps it would be good for you to take some time off. It's been ages since you spent some time at home."

Ron nodded. "Perhaps."

"Well that all sounds very nice and cosy, but come on Ron! Your career is really taking off now and you have to strike while the iron is hot!" Candy said.

There was something about Candy's tone that Hermione did not like.

"Ron, I'm just about to meet some colleagues of mine down at the bar to talk about a new project. They've heard about your work out in the field and they're totally anxious to meet you. I think this could be a big chance for you. What do you say?"

Ron looked at Hermione, who just shrugged and looked at the floor. Obviously, she did not want him to meet with these people who would surely tear her husband away from her for weeks on end again. Yet, who was she to hold him back? Is that what a supportive wife is supposed to do?

"You're right, Candy. This could be a good chance," Ron said.

"Good boy! You know it makes sense! I'll see you down there at eight," Candy said, rushing away.

Ron turned to Hermione and laughed nervously. "I guess it's a date!"

Hermione just looked at him, unimpressed.

"Oh come on, Mione! It was just a joke."

"I know," she sighed. "Perhaps I'll come with you later."

"You want to come?" Ron looked surprised.

"Yeah. Why not?"

Ron nodded, getting used to the idea. "Okay."

O

When Hermione met the colleagues and spent more time with Candy, she almost regretted her decision. The colleagues were three guys – Doug, Tristan and Skeet. Each of them had cheesy personalities to match their name.

They were all money-orientated and Hermione had to endure their constant bragging of the cars they owned or the latest ipad that was soon to be theirs. Hermione found this tedious, as she had always preferred to read a decent book rather than mess about with the latest gadgets.

Hermione sat awkwardly at the table. Feeling disinterested in the conversation, she let her eyes wander over to the bar. That was when she saw him.

Severus was sat at the bar with a scotch in his hands. He was wearing a white shirt and a black jacket. Hermione thought he looked great.

His eyes suddenly met hers and Hermione immediately looked down at the floor, embarrassed to be caught staring at him. She decided instead to try and participate in the conversation.

This time Candy was well-away on her ego-trip. "Everybody says to me that I'm anorexic, but I'm not! I can eat whatever I want and not put an once of weight! I have high metabolism, which keeps me as thin as I am."

"Really? Because I was wondering that," Hermione said.

"Thank you! So now you know!" Candy responded, missing the tone of sarcasm in Hermione's voice.

Hermione glanced over at Severus again, realising he could probably hear Candy mouthing-off. He was looking over at her table with a smirk across his face, clearly finding her "friends" as idiotic as she did.

Hermione looked down and grinned, happy to find some understanding. Maybe she was a little tipsy or just driven plain mad by her company, but she wanted to reach out to Severus somehow and show him her acknowledgement of his presence. She did not fully know why, but she was so glad to see him.

She looked at a glass on Sake in front of her which she had barely touched and called over a waiter.

"Could you please send this to the dark-haired English man at the bar please?"

The waiter did this whilst Hermione watched, eagerly.

Severus accepted the Sake from the waiter and looked over at Hermione, slightly surprised, when he was told who it was from.

He raised the glass at her, which an expression as if to say, "this is just what I needed," and downed the Sake in one. He then got up and left the bar, leaving Hermione grinning into her lap, who for the first time felt endeared by his moodiness.


	4. Catching up

**Krista04: Thanks for your reviews. They keep me going****:)**

** Obviously, others are allowed to review as well. Haha!**

**Severus says a naughty word in this by the way. I know, what a bad guy lol. . .**

Hermione lay in bed that night, wide awake. When she thought of Snape's reaction to her kind gesture, she felt warm inside. She was so glad to have taken the risk. All of a sudden, she could not wait until the next morning, hoping for another chance encounter with the Professor.

O

Hermione was woken by Ron nudging her.

"Morning Mione. I'm off to work now, so I'm saying goodbye." He said.

Hermione yawned. "Okay. . . Goodbye."

Ron gently kissed her on the lips and made for the door. Hermione stopped him.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

Hermione felt she needed to know. "Last night. . . did you see somebody down at the bar?"

"What do you mean? I saw a lot of people down at the bar last night. I even saw you!"

"No, I mean. . . someone you recognised from somewhere else."

Ron looked miffed. "Besides Candy, no I didn't. Why? Did you?"

"No," Hermione quickly blurted out. She felt relieved that he hadn't noticed Snape, as it meant he had noticed her sending the drink to Snape. It would not have looked good to him, innocent as it might have been. "No, I just saw someone who looked a lot like Harry. He had similar glasses and everything. It was funny!"

"Oh yeah? You should've pointed him out to me."

"Yeah, I should have. Oh well. . ." Hermione shrugged.

"Is that all?"

"That's all."

"I'll be off then. Bye."

"Bye."

Hermione breathed a deep sigh as Ron left.

O

Hermione spent the day loitering around the hotel, hoping to run into the Professor again. Hours passed and she had seen no sign of him.

Disappointed, she went back to her hotel room and waited for Ron to return. When he did, they went out to dinner together at a restaurant across the road from the hotel.

Later on, the couple lay in bed together. Hermione felt quite comfortable until Ron started again with his snoring. She looked at him with menacing eyes, not wanting to endure another night of this. How badly she wanted some decent company.

Where could the professor be at this time of night? Hermione quietly got out of bed and got dressed. There could be only one place. . .

o

Sure enough, he was there at the bar, sat in the same seat as the previous night. Hermione felt excited and afraid all at the same time. She was nervous to approach him, yet desperately wanted to at the same time.

He kept his head down and was staring at the table, obviously deep in thought. It was not even possible to get his attention from where she was.

Then she did something brave. She walked up to the bar and took the seat next to him, feeling her heart thump through her chest. She looked to her left and saw he was still staring at the table. Was he ignoring her? Did he not like her? Hermione felt very unsure of herself.

The waiter noticed her at the bar. "Could I get you a drink, miss?"

"Yes, please. I would like a drink." Hermione racked her brain. She was flustered and not even sure what to order. How embarrassing.

"And. . . what drink would you like?"

This was definitely a mistake. She suddenly felt thankful that Snape was keeping his eyes on the table. She couldn't handle his looking at her now. "You know. . . I'm not sure."

"May I recommend the Sake, Miss Granger?" She heard the voice from beside her and looked at him. He was still staring down, yet hearing his silky, delicious voice had made all the difference and Hermione smiled.

"Good idea! Sake please, waiter." Hermione said, feeling much more confident.

The waiter poured out the Sake and put it in front of her. Hermione took a deep breath and faced Snape.

"Do you like Sake, Professor?"

"Yes." For the first time, Snape turned and faced her, looking into her eyes. "I did. Thank you."

Hermione's smile grew. "Wow! When was the last time you thanked someone?"

"Very recently, I'll have you know. It was yesterday, when the porter brought my bags to my room. I thanked him and hoped that would a hint for him to go away."

Hermione laughed. "And did he?"

Snape sneered. "The cheeky fucker wanted a tip!"

"Would you believe it?" Again, Hermione found his strop endearing.

"Indeed! So I gave him a tip - I said 'when a guy has had to lug his own bags halfway around the world, don't think he is going to shower you with riches for moving them from a taxi to a hotel room!'"

Hermione nodded. "That sounds fair."

Severus took a swig of his drink. "I think so."

"I just tipped the guy anyway. That's what they do here, right?"

"What are _you _doing here, Miss Granger? I thought that was it. All my students had finished, grown up, moved on. But look who I bumped into – in Tokyo, no less!"

Hermione lowered her head. "That's an embarrassing question, Professor. I'm not really doing anything here. I'm just kind of. . . hanging around."

Severus raised one of his eyebrows. "Hanging around? You travelled a hell of a long way just to hang around."

"Well. . . I came with Ron."

"So I saw. Are you two a happy couple now?" Snape said, smirking a little.

"Yes. . . we're a couple." Hermione turned her head slightly away from him, not able to bring herself to say 'happy.'

Severus noticed she looked a little uncomfortable, but did not think much to it.

"Ron's a geologist now and he's here to work. I wasn't doing anything, so I came along," Hermione said.

"So he's fallen on his feet and made a career for himself?"

Hermione sighed. "One of us had to."

"That surprises me. My money would have been on you to have had the success. You've worked hard enough."

"I know."

Severus heard a hint of sadness in Hermione's voice. The last thing he wanted was a soppy girl on his hands, so he broke the silence to distract her. "I'm here to work as well. I'm hosting lectures here this week. It wasn't. . . safe for me to stay around Hogwarts, without wanted to go into much detail. So here I am."

"How do you like it?"

"I don't."

"You don't like it here in Tokyo?"

Severus sighed. "Or any other country filled with Muggles. I feel a lesser person without my magic."

"Same here."

"But I suppose we'll have to get used to it, Miss Granger."

Hermione felt uncomfortable every time he used her maiden name and felt it appropriate to put him right. "It's not Miss Granger anymore, Professor. I'm Mrs Weasley now."

Severus looked at her, taken back. "You. . . married Ron?"

"I did."

"Well. . ."

Hermione did not like the miffed look on his face and started panic about his reaction." Why are you so surprised? Everyone knew we loved each other all through Hogwarts. I know we never went out, but. . . those feelings were there."

"Of course I knew there was something there. I just didn't think there was enough _there _to last."

"Why do you say that?"

Severus thought for a moment. "I didn't ever think he was on par with you. You seem so different to each other with your own priorities and views. Back as schoolchildren, you probably admired each other's differences. They were attractive. But once you enter the big, wide world. . . relationships like that can often go their own separate ways as life drifts them apart."

Hermione looked down, stung by his words and fearful of the truth in them. "Oh. . ."

Severus noticed her sadness and could hardly believe he had thrown her into depression once again. "But that's just my view. I'm not the best person to ask about relationships. It was a pleasant surprised."

Hermione felt unconvinced at his attempt to shake of what he'd said. "Yes, well. . . I'm just saying I'm not Miss Granger anymore. So there's no need to call me that."

"As you wish, Hermione."


	5. Ron leaves

**This chapter is a bit shorter, but it gets things rolling a bit**

**Amysweetie: Thanks for your review, I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

**Krista04: Your review made me laugh! I don't mean to drive you insane. Calm down, here's some more;)**

**Toriashley: Yes, I know I've been quite mean to Hermione so far haha! But I guess life can be more interesting if it turns out differently**

**Anyways, on with the show…..**

Hermione felt a shiver up her spine when she heard Severus call her by her first name. It was the first time he had ever done that and it made her blush; although she was aware of his refusal to call her Mrs Weasley.

They did not stay chatting together at the bar for much longer as Hermione realised she should probably get back to her room, in case Ron noticed she had gone. The conversation had also died a little after the awkward topic of her marriage. The Professor had obviously thought it was a silly idea, which hurt her a bit.

Hermione stood up. "Will I see you tomorrow, Professor?"

Severus shrugged. "You might."

Realising this was the best response she would get from him, she bid him good night, which he returned.

O

Severus watched Hermione leave out of the corner of his eye.

Hermione Granger, the best student he had ever taught, married a klutz like Ron Weasley. She had not even seemed confident about their marriage when she spoke of it. Do they not know what love is?

Severus thought back to Lily and how he had always been crazy in love with her. He would kill to have kept her for the rest of his life. Yet, she went and married another man. But he still loved her unconditionally. Of course he had no-one to blame but himself for her not choosing him. He should have fought harder to be the man she wanted, not some mean person who leant towards the dark side. Why would sweet Lily want to spend her life with a man like that?

In many ways, Hermione reminded Severus of Lily. She too was strong and a good person, fighting for the good in life. If he were Ron, he would love Hermione properly and make her feel certain of their relationship. He would put her before anything else and never let her go. What a foolish boy, about to make the same mistake as he did many years ago – a mistake that Severus could never salvage.

Severus breathed a deep sigh and alerted the barman. "Poor me another one, would you?"

O

Hermione woke up quite late the next morning to see Ron on the floor, packing a suitcase.

"Ron, what are you doing? We're not leaving for a while yet," said Hermione, confused.

Ron stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "You're not going to like this."

Hermione started to feel nervous. "What's wrong?"

"I had a phone call this morning. I have to go to Osaka for a few days."

"Osaka? That's quite a way off from here, isn't it?"

"Yes it is. It's a bloody long way from here. But I have to go there," Ron sighed. "Of course it's all for the project. I'd explain it to you, but you'd only get that blank expression again which shows me you don't know what I'm on about, like you always do when I talk about work."

Hermione laughed bitterly. "You're probably right. So you're leaving me here."

"You don't have to stay. But if you want to come, you have to get ready now because I need to go ASAP."

Hermione thought for a moment. She did not really want to go to Osaka, although she did not really want Ron to leave her alone. She had become quite comfortable in the hotel and who knows, maybe she could befriend the Professor.

"I think I'd have a better time here, Ron. So go do your thing and I'll be waiting right here for you," Hermione smiled, encouragingly.

Ron got up and sat on the bed. He handed Hermione a piece of paper with a phone number on it.

"Do you remember Edward?" Ron asked.

"You mean, Edward your old friend from primary school who we went on holiday with last year?"

"That's him. I didn't want to say anything because it was going to be a surprise. Guess who's staying here in Tokyo?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Oh really?"

"He's staying here with some mates from his work. They arrived yesterday, apparently. This is his phone number. Call him, meet them tonight, go out and have a blast. It's an order, Hermione," Ron instructed her.

Hermione giggled. "Thank you, Ron. Take care of yourself."

The couple kissed and exchanged goodbyes. Ron then grabbed his cases and left. Hermione sighed as she watched him leave, feeling a little intimidated that he had left her alone in such a place.

_What to do now? _She wondered to herself. _Call Edward. . . then perhaps I'll go check-out the hotel pool. _

O

Hermione pulled on a dressing gown and started out of the changing rooms, only to be taken by surprise.

The Professor almost ran right into her. She barely recognized him at first. He was also in a dressing gown. His hair was wet and tied back.

They both laughed nervously.

"Morning Professor."

"Morning Hermione."

There was a moments silence between them.

"How is the pool?" Asked Hermione.

"Nice. Not too busy."

"Oh good," Hermione smiled. "How long are you staying here for?"

"I'll be around until Thursday."

Hermione felt glad he was not rushing off too quickly. "That's good."

Severus looked at her, surprised that someone could want him around, least of all an ex-student.

Hermione built up her courage, knowing she would kick herself if she did not ask. She had never been so keen to break the ice with someone. "I'm meeting some friends later, if you'd like to come."

Severus laughed. "Hermione, I think I'd feel a bit stupid going out partying with a load of twenty-year olds. As much as I appreciate. . ."

"It's mixed age-groups. Some people there, I wont even know myself. We're just going to go to a few bars," Hermione said, anxious for him to give her a chance.

Severus did not fancy going to the hotel bar again and noticed how much Hermione wanted him to say yes, as much as it confused him. What was there to lose?

"Okay. Why not. I'll come," Severus said.

Hermione's face widened into a big smile. "Great! Want to meet me at my room around half seven?"

"Sure."

"I'm in room 825. See you later."

"Bye."

Hermione hurried past him, feeling sunshine in her veins. Severus shook his head with disbelief, wondering what he had got himself into.


	6. Night out in Tokyo

**As always, thanks for reviews. Please keep them coming:) **

**thefanfictiongirl: I will review your work, I've just had a lot of work on at the moment:(**

Hermione took a sip of Merlot and placed the glass on to her bedside table. Severus was not due to meet her for another hour and the nerves were starting to build. Her biggest fear was that he would decide not to come at all, when she thought back to how reluctant he seemed.

She brushed her hair and felt horrified as she looked it the mirror, as it looked like an untameable bush. She put on a hair band to push the curls out of her face and then pinned the rest of her hair into a bun. She then put on a silky red dress which was pretty, but not too extravagant.

She looked herself up and down in the mirror and hoped she would do. If only she knew what the others were wearing…

The hour soon passed and Hermione felt a rush through her chest as she heard a knock at the door. Hermione rushed to answer it and sure enough, there he was.

Severus was dressed all in black, as she expected, but he still scrubbed up well.

"Hello Professor. I'm so glad you came!" Hermione said, with a nervous smile.

"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?" Severus smirked, letting Hermione know he was joking before he let himself in.

"I like what you've done with the place," Severus said in slight mock, as he scanned the room.

Hermione giggled. This was the first time they had ever been alone together and it gave her a funny feeling. They were not just student and professor anymore.

Severus noticed the wind chime hanging from the ceiling. "What's this?"

"A wind chime. I got it the other day from a market."

"It almost gave me concussion. Nice though."

Hermione grinned, thinking back to the injury on her foot from when she hung it up.

"What's this?" Severus gestured towards the Merlot. "Dutch courage?"

Hermione felt slightly embarrassed and wished she had hidden the glass. "Just something to get me going."

Severus breathed a deep sigh. "Well, I wont deny the three whiskeys I had before coming up here. I guess I was just nervous about taking a lady out. . . especially a married one."

Hermione blushed slightly when he called her a lady. "No need to be nervous, Professor."

Severus thought for a while. "Perhaps you'd better start calling me by my first name. It might seem a bit funny your referring to me as 'Professor' in a social situation."

"As you wish. . . Severus."

They looked at each other with bashfulness for a moment, until Severus snapped himself out of it.

"Are we ready?"

Hermione picked her bag up. "I think so."

Severus offered his arm in a dignified way. "Shall we?"

Hermione grinned as she linked her arm with his, very much looking forward to her night in Tokyo with Severus. "Lets!"

Severus escorted Hermione out of the hotel room.

O

Severus felt like an alien on another planet as he walked into the nightclub. The place was packed with people and there were dazzling lights all around. The club also had very modern deco and furniture.

Hermione took hold of his arm again and she looked at him with excitement. Severus returned her look with the most unconvincing smile she had ever seen.

Hermione giggled. She had to shout over the load music. "Come on, Severus. I think I can see Edward over by the dance floor."

Hermione led Severus through the crowd until she met with a blonde guy with a group of other people. His face lit up with excitement when he saw them. "Hermione!"

"Edward!" Hermione jumped into Edward's arms and tightly embraced him. Severus stood beside them, slightly awkward.

Hermione finally let go and put her hand on the Professor's shoulder.

"This is Severus Snape. We . . . knew each other at Hogwarts."

"Nice to meet you," Edward shook Snape's hand. "Severus Snape? You must be popular with the girls with a name like that!"

Severus smirked. "Unfortunately not."

Edward shook his head. "That's too bad. Maybe we can fix that tonight."

Hermione laughed. "He's not out on the pull, Edward!"

Edward then went on to introduce five workmate; three men and two girls, with ages that ranged to about twenty to forty. The group chatted for a while and Severus held his own quite well, though Hermione could see he looked nervous.

"Severus, do want to go to the bar?" She asked him.

"That sounds like a plan," Severus said, relieved.

Hermione told Edward she would meet with him later and went away with Severus to find the bar. They found they had to go downstairs to find a bar area underground. Severus liked it a lot more, because it was cosier and had smoother, quieter music. They found two seats at the bar and sat down.

"You must try these cocktails I've been having here. They're delicious!" Hermione said.

Severus shrugged. "As you wish."

Hermione ordered two cocktails and Severus downed his quickly. Hermione stared at his empty glass, wide-eyed. "Thirsty, Severus?"

"Always. Especially when I'm out of my comfort zone." Severus ordered another and started to drink again. Suddenly he stopped and felt his head spin.

Hermione noticed his eyes slur. "Perhaps I should have told you how strong they are."

Severus put his hand to his head while his face broke into a cheeky smirk. Hermione wanted to laugh her head off as it was quite clear that the Professor was drunk.

O

Since the cocktails, Hermione was delighted to see Snape's inhibitions disappear. He became much more comfortable with his surroundings and was able to speak to others more easily. The pair of them even split up and mingled with different people in the bar.

As Severus sat at a table talking with another man, he saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye. She was stood talking to a younger guy of about her age. He could not believe how radiant she looked in her red dress and grown-up hair. The alcohol allowed his thoughts to run free and he realised how attractive he found her. He also noticed the spark of jealousy he felt when this guy touched her arm in a friendly way.

O

Hermione stood talking to Tony, interested in what he had to say, but could not ignore the Professor's eyes on her. There was something about his stare that she liked. So deep and meaningful. It had been a long time since a man had looked at her in that way.

Edward suddenly appeared and took Hermione by the arm. "Hey Mione, we're thinking of clearing out of here and heading to one of those karaoke bars."

"Karaoke?" Hermione thought of the Professor and figured he would hate it. Then she looked over and saw him creasing up with laughter at something his new friend said. Realizing that Severus was acting far from his real self, her worry disappeared.

"Sounds fun! I'll grab Severus."


	7. Drunken revelations

**Thanks so much for the reviews. They really do keep me going:)**

**Obviously I don't own any of the singers/songs mentioned, or the karaoke place! I've never been there, I just googled Tokyo karaoke so that I could have the right picture in my head to help me write this haha!**

The group hurried out of the club and into the Tokyo streets, which were brightly lit by neon lights in the night sky. Hermione helped a very dizzy Snape along, guiding him by his wrist.

"So what now? Are we making our way back?" Snape asked her, wearily.

"Not exactly," Hermione smirked, putting her hand out by the roadside to catch a cab.

The whole group of them managed to squeeze into two cabs. Being the smallest, Hermione sat in the middle in the back of a cab between Edward and Severus. They drove through the streets of Tokyo and Severus looked out the window, now with a more open perspective.

"I'm warming to this place," he said, thinking out load.

"So am I," Hermione agreed. "It's so different out here, but sometimes different is good. It helps us to escape our lives and see things in a new way."

Severus turned and looked at her. "I think that's definitely something we've done this week."

Once again, Hermione and Severus held a knowing silence. However, both of them were rather tipsy and this seemed more friendly than awkward.

Their moment was suddenly interrupted when a very drunk Edward jumped in. "I totally know what you mean! It was nothing short of a mind-fuck when I got here. Every little thing is different. And nobody speaks English! It's abysmal."

Hermione laughed. "Why should they? How good is your Japanese?"

Edward shrugged. "Whatever, man! I just hope their karaoke machines play in English, otherwise we're screwed."

A massive part of Severus sobered up and he froze inside. "Did you say karaoke?"

"You bet!"

Severus nudged Hermione. "He is joking, isn't he? We're not really going to a karaoke bar?"

Hermione giggled. "Yes we are, Severus and I'm putting you in for a Tom Jones number."

Severus looked at her, wide-eyed and terrified.

O

The cabs dropped them off at a place called "Big Echo Karaoke entertainment." There was a bar downstairs, but the group opted to rent out a private room on the 25th floor. Hermione was extremely impressed when she saw the room. It was called "The Purple room" and was lit with purple lights. It had fake zebra-skinned carpets which were comfortable enough to sit on. There were also sofas in front of the windows, which let another breath-taking view of Tokyo flood in. There was a small mini-bar, which Severus was pleased to see. A karaoke machine was in the corner of the room, playing music videos whilst no-one was using it.

Severus immediately sat down on one of the sofas. "I'll just be the spectator."

Edward came over and put his hand on Severus' shoulder, which made him feel quite miffed. "How about a drink, Sev my pal?"

"Sounds good."

The group did not do much but drink and dance for a while. Severus mostly watched with amusement, even though Hermione tried to rope him in with the dancing.

The first person to sing was Edward, who wailed and jumped about like an idiot to a Killers song. Then there was Edward's friend Lyle, who opted for Robbie Williams' "Angels." He was so out of tune that he sounded like nails on a chalk-board. Hermione and Severus looked at each other and grimaced.

The group went on to sing some of the popular karaoke songs like "I will survive" and "Don't stop believing." Hermione was happy to share the microphone a few times, worried about doing a solo.

Eventually, Edward talked her into singing a Pretenders song called "Brass in Pocket," which was easy because the song was hardly a power ballad and she did not have to make a big effort to sing.

Severus was still glued to his seat, although he had to admit he was starting to enjoy watching the karaoke and found most of the performances funny. However, he found the words in Hermione's song quite provocative and had to frequently divert his attention somewhere else, desperately reminding himself she was married.

Towards the end of Hermione's song, Severus decided to go out into the corridor for a cigarette.

Hermione finished singing and noticed he had gone.

_Wow, was my singing that bad? _She thought to herself.

She then saw a small fog of smoke through the glass door and figured where he was. She went outside to see him sat on a sofa in the corridor.

"Caught you!" She said, playfully.

Severus just gave her a weak smile in response. Hermione sat beside him and Severus placed his cigarette in an ashtray beside him, so not to drown her with smoke.

"Don't fancy having a go, Severus?" Hermione asked.

"My girl, it's a miracle that I'm even in a five-mile radius of this place. It's only because of a hundred units of alcohol that I am. You wont hold it against me if I don't give you my best Elvis Presley, will you? Not that I want to disappoint," Severus said.

"Of course not. Severus, I've been nothing but proud of you tonight. I've seen a new side to you that I didn't know was there. I'm so glad you came with me tonight," Hermione said, blushing slightly by how sincere she had been. She knew this would not have happened if she was sober.

Severus tensed up and suddenly realised he had just heard the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. How to respond?

"Thank you, Hermione. I'm glad I came."

An expression came over Hermione's face that made Severus slightly dubious. She was obviously starting to become drunkenly emotional and for a while he thought she was going to break into song again.

"I never thought I would say this, but you're the only person who's understood me in a long time. I've felt so alone. . . ever since I got here. Then, all of a sudden, here you are!" Hermione said.

"Hermione. . ." Severus started, nervously.

"You were right about my new husband. He isn't on par with me at all. He can't even talk to me so that I'm interested in what he has to say."

Severus just nodded, not sure of what to say.

"And Ron. . . you were right about him. He doesn't get me at all! But he gets _Candy._" Hermione said her name in a mocking tone. "She knows all about what he needs and he seems to agree, so why doesn't he marry her instead?"

"Who the hell is Candy?"

"Another dimbo girl. Lavender has nothing on her. You wouldn't want to know her."

"With a name like that, you're probably right."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Here's me moaning about Ron, but he can't be all that bad. At least he has a job. . . unlike me."

Severus looked at Hermione for a moment and felt a pang in his heart at the depressed look on her face. With much courage, he put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"Do you have the time?" He asked.

"Yeah." Hermione looked at her watched. "It's almost three in the morning."

"I think you're very tired. We both are. . . and very pissed. Maybe it's time we were getting back to the hotel." Severus suggested, in a calm tone.

Hermione nodded and gave him a half smile. "Yeah."

"Get your things. I'll call us a cab."


	8. Attraction

The journey was long. Hermione had not realised how far out they had travelled from the nightclub to the karaoke place. She leant her head against the window of the taxi, watching the city streets; which were now starting to calm down and there were less people around.

Hermione looked over to her right and saw Severus resting against his own window, deep in sleep. She smiled and thought he looked very cute; even vulnerable.

Hermione was very tired herself, but could not sleep throughout the journey. Her speech to Severus about Ron was still strong in her mind. She thought of the common phrase 'a drunken mind speaks a sober heart' and suddenly felt hopeless about her marriage. She put her hand over her face, not wanting to think about it anymore as it seemed like such a dead-end. Perhaps it should wait until the morning, when she was in a better state.

The taxi pulled up by the Park Hyatt hotel. Hermione nudged Severus and he awoke, startled.

Hermione giggled at his bewilderedness. "Calm down, Sev. We're here."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Sev?"

She gave him a 'brushing off' gesture with her hand. "Whatever. I'm so ready for bed."

Hermione tried to open the door, but seemed to have some difficulty. The alcohol was obviously making her see double. Feeling less drunk after his nap, Severus decided he should look after her. "I'll do it."

He got out of the car and opened the door for Hermione on her side. She grabbed hold of his arm and he helped her out. She stumbled into his arms and he caught her, keeping her up straight.

"You're lucky I'm here, Hermione, or you'd do yourself and injury."

Severus paid the driver and the taxi drove off.

He kept his arm around Hermione as he helped her into the hotel as she found it difficult to walk in a straight line. Once inside, they waited for the lift.

"Did you not sleep at all?" Severus asked her.

Hermione simply shook her head, with her slurred eyes to the floor. When the lift arrived, it was empty. Severus lead Hermione inside and she slumped to the floor, resting in the corner.

As the lift went up, Severus looked down at Hermione. "Couldn't you have waited all of four minutes until you got to your room?"

Hermione did not respond and Severus crouched down beside her. He said her name and she just groaned in response, not even opening her eyes.

Severus sighed. "Well, I hope there's no CCTV in here."

He picked up her bag. He sought out her key-card and put it in his pocket. When they reached Hermione's floor, Severus gathered her into his arms and took her down the hotel corridor towards her room. With difficulty, he managed to get the key-card out and unlock the door.

Once in the room, Severus lay Hermione down on the bed and covered her with the duvet. He took her shoes off and just sat on the side of the bed, watching her for a while.

Hermione's heavy eyes fluttered open for a while and she gave him a small, sweet smile before closing them again. Severus figured she was in delirium, but still felt endeared by her. He felt attraction for her again and his heart started to thud.

He felt like he wanted to kiss her, even just on the cheek in a friendly way. Yet fear took over and Severus instead gave her a pitiful tap on the shoulder, before turning out the light and leaving her room. He walked along the empty corridor, feeling slightly confused with his feelings.

O

When Severus reached his room, he felt unable to go straight to sleep. He felt angry with himself for having such feelings for an ex-student who also happened to be married and decided he would do his best to put them aside. As much as he enjoyed this evening, it would probably be a bad idea to go out with Hermione again.

He looked at his clock on his bedside table and saw it was four in the morning, which made it around dinner time in England. He picked up the phone at the side of his bed and dialled a very long number.

"Professor Snape's office," the female voice said.

"Jane, it's me," Severus said.

"Hello Professor, how are you doing out there?"

"It's been. . . an experience. But I think it needs to end now. I know I have tomorrow off, so why don't we just cut it short and say I go home? I don't have many classes left anyway."

Jane felt fear pass through her. "I'd say that's a bad idea, Professor. You're going to upset a lot of people if you do that and it wont look good on you. Here's them fighting for you to stay longer and now you want to leave early. I know you don't like it there…"

Severus started to get desperate. "It's not just that, Jane. There's another reason and it puts me in a real fix to stay here. I can't really tell you what it is. . . I just need you to trust me. Sweet talk whoever you can. Get me out of here."

"I can't, Professor. That university is impossible. You'll have to fire me."

Severus sighed, knowing full well he would not do that to Jane, as she would definitely help him if she could.

"Professor, please tell me the problem. You can trust me as well."

Severus felt quite silly. "Well… thing is… I think I'm about to break up a marriage."

"Really? Are you sure the marriage was not already broken?"

"I…think it was… But is that the point here?"

"I'm impressed you've actually got a personal life now. I could always get you a seat on a chat show to sort it all out." Jane said, almost sarcastically.

Severus imagined himself on 'The Jeremy Kyle Show' and horror passed through him. "I'd rather be hung, drawn and quartered!"

Jane laughed. "I knew that would scare you. On a serious note, you have to finish this contract and you know it. Do not let this situation interfere with work. Stay professional. As for this involvement you have with this married couple…you'll just have to sit it out."

Severus took a deep sigh. "Thank you, Jane."

Severus hung up the phone and sat motionless on his bed for a while, fearful of how to handle the predicament he had got himself into.


	9. An almighty hangover

Hermione reluctantly opened her eyes and looked at the alarm clock by her bed. It said 11.27 in the morning. Hermione laughed weakly, but then winced as she felt the sharp pain in her head. She realised she must have drank a lot last night, as she also felt quite sick.

Hermione got out of bed, with the pain in her head getting worse as she stood up. She opened the curtains and saw the same old view from her window.

Feeling dehydrated, she went to her mini-fridge and took out some orange-juice. She tried drinking it, but as soon as she tasted the bitter orange-juice, she began to wretch and rushed to the bathroom.

O

Severus exited the lift and made his way back to his hotel room. He had enjoyed a morning of golf, which made him feel relaxed. He had hardly thought of Hermione and her revelations last night at all, along with his inappropriate feelings for her.

He opened his door with his key card and collapsed on to his bed. He closed his eyes for a few moments, before being rudely awakened by the phone.

Severus shuddered slightly, then reluctantly picked it up.

"Yes?"

"Mr Snape, this is reception calling. We are informing you that there will be a fire-drill in an hour. Just a practice, so it's nothing to worry about."

Severus sneered. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure not to be here."

"There's no need to leave your room, Mr Snape."

"With my hangover, there's every need." Snape hung up and lay down again.

The phone rang again and rage poured through Severus' veins. He grabbed the phone. "What the hell do you want now?"

"It's me, Severus," a weak voice said.

Severus felt a pang in his heart. "Hermione? What's wrong? You sound terrible."

"I feel terrible. I've just been very sick."

Snape wanted to kick himself, realising he should have checked on her that morning after seeing her in such a bad state last night; regardless of anything else between them.

"Shall I come up?"

Hermione panicked slightly. "I'd kill myself if you saw me like this. I'm a mess."

"There are more important things than how you look. If you're not well…"

"Severus… I don't know why I called you." She drew a heavy sigh. "I guess I just feel bad and wanted to talk to someone. I feel like a real idiot…"

Hermione felt confused about what she was saying or how she was feeling, but Severus understood where she was coming from completely. She was alone in a strange place and she was afraid. Tokyo had got her confused like it had him. All she wanted was a friend and why should he deny her that?

"Hermione, I have a plan. How about I give you a couple of hours to rest and get cleaned up, then we'll go somewhere and see if we can get you to eat something?"

Hermione smiled at his humorous tone. "That sounds like a good plan."

O

Two hours later Hermione's pain had gone, but she still felt quite weak. Severus escorted her to a small sushi place he had seen, just a couple of roads from the hotel.

They sat at a small table and Severus watched as Hermione sipped herbal tea. The warmth inside her made her feel better. She looked up at Severus and they exchanged nervous smiles. He felt guilty when he saw how pale she was.

"I should have called you this morning. I'm sorry." Severus said, his eyes looking down on the table.

"What were you doing instead?" Hermione asked, playfully.

"I was…playing golf."

Hermione shrugged. "Well, I guess some things are just more important."

"Thanks for understanding."

They looked at each other again and grinned.

"That fire alarm didn't help. It was like a drill in my skull," Hermione sighed.

"Was it bad?"

"It was. Did you not hear it?"

"No, I went out."

"That was a wise choice. It went on forever." Hermione took another sip of her tea. "Where did you go? Not that I want to stick my nose in…"

Severus shrugged. "Of course you're not. I just went to get a shiatsu massage."

Hermione smiled. "You did? Do you get massages often, Severus?"

"That was the first one I had. Are you impressed with how adventurous I am?"

"I'm surprised. I just can't believe you going to a massage place, disrobing, lying on a table…"

"You can keep your clothes on for a shiatsu. I'm glad I did…it was terrible agony."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. She practically crippled me. I can't pick you up again, I'm afraid."

Hermione blushed slightly, realising how paralytic she was. "I've learnt my lesson about alcohol, I think. Never again!"

"I'll hold you to that."

"I'm in pain as well. I stubbed my toe."

"Last night?"

Hermione giggled. "No, a few days a go. It was after I hung up that wind chime."

"Those things are lethal…"

"I've got a massive bruise on it now. I can still move it, though."

"It should heal by itself, then"

Hermione and Severus went on to eat their lunch when it arrived. They had easy-talk between them and there were no awkward moments. Hermione felt much stronger after eating, which was not difficult for her. They decided not to do anything that afternoon as they were both quite tired, so they went back to their rooms.

O

Severus relaxed on his bed and watched an American film that had Japanese subtitles. The tiredness took over as he drifted in and out of sleep throughout the film.

The phone once again woke him up and Severus answered it wearily.

As he expected, it was Hermione. "I'm about to meet Edward at this bar. Do you want to come with me?"

Severus could hardly believe his ears. "Is this going to be a repeat of last night? Because I don't think I can take it."

"It wont. We're just going to have a few drinks."

"You said you're never drinking again. But look what's happening…" Severus checked his watch. "Four and a half hours later!"

"I know…but I wont drink much tonight."

Severus once again thought of her antics the previous night. Especially when she started pouring her heart out to him about how she preferred him over Ron. His voice turned stern on her for the first time since Hogwarts. "You'd better not, Hermione."


	10. Lily's legacy

**We studied Harry Potter in my literature lecture yesterday. Snape wasn't mentioned once – it's criminal!**

**Thank you to IND520 for the reviews x**

Hermione gave Severus the name of the bar and said she would be a little late, so Severus made his own way. He got into the back of a cab and told the driver if he knew where the bar was.

The driver grinned at him. "So you want a good time tonight, sir?"

Severus looked confused. "I guess."

The driver dropped him off outside of a building with blaring music coming from it. Severus felt even more confused when he saw red lights outside it, but he went inside anyway.

Edward was at the bar and waved at him. "Hey Sev! Over here!"

Severus joined him at the bar, trying his best to look enthusiastic as he really was not taking to this guy. Edward introduced him to a few friends he was there with. He also said how he had just texted Hermione and she was on her way, which Severus was glad about, feeling awkward amongst people he barely knew.

Edward gestured towards a stage in the middle of the bar. "So how do you like our entertainment for tonight? Pretty nice, huh!"

Severus looked towards the stage and his jaw dropped.

O

Two minutes later, Severus hurried out of the bar. He saw Hermione about to enter and he grabbed her by her wrist, dragging her away.

Hermione giggled. "What's going on? I was supposed to meet Edward…"

Severus cut her off. "It's a strip-club!"

She gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Completely. There were girls dancing about with everything on show. I didn't know which tit to look at!"

Hermione burst into laughter. "I can't believe Edward would organise for us to see strippers."

"I can. I'm not letting you stay in there. It's just not the place to take a lady."

Hermione felt quite pleased with his protectiveness of her.

Hermione texted Edward and said she was not keen on the idea of the club and said she would see him another time. Severus and Hermione found a quiet place to have a drink and left fairly early.

O

It was 1.30 in the morning and Hermione stayed up looking at pictures of her and Ron. It had seemed like such a long time since he left for Osaka and she wondered how he was getting on. She did not trust this Candy girl, but she liked to think she could trust Ron to behave himself whilst he was away from her.

Hermione lay down on her bed and breathed a heavy sigh.

Her phone beeped and she saw that she had a text message. It said simply, "are you awake?"

Hermione grinned and made her way downstairs to Severus' room.

O

Severus filled Hermione's glass with Sake and poured himself one.

They sat on the floor in front of the TV, only half-watching the film that was on.

"I really think I'm taking to this Sake," he said.

Hermione smiled and thought of when she sent him the Sake in the bar. "Good. I'm glad I got you into it."

"You do spoil me. I don't deserve it."

"Before I saw you out here in Tokyo, I would have agreed with you. We weren't exactly bosom-buddies, were we. Who would have thought we'd strike up a friendship."

"I know. We're near-enough dating now."

They looked at each other and blushed slightly.

When the film finished, Severus and Hermione were a little more tired, so they crashed out on the bed, each of them keeping their own space.

After a few moments of silence, Hermione said, "let's never come here again because it would never be as good."

"If you wish," said Severus.

"I'm dreading going back to London. I'm so stuck. I don't understand why it's so hard to sort my life out. I don't know what I'm supposed to be."

"Keep trying things out. You'll figure it out eventually."

"I feel like I don't belong outside of Hogwarts."

"I definitely don't, but there's no going back. No occupation inspires me here. I only work to make a living…but that's what most people do."

Hermione nodded. "I guess so. But what about my marriage?"

Severus chuckled. "Only you can answer that one. Have you not missed him?"

"Well, I've been spending a lot of my time with you," Hermione answered, slightly uncomfortable.

"I haven't got long left in Tokyo, so see if you miss him when I'm gone."

Hermione felt a little sad, knowing full-well that it would only be Severus that she would miss when he leaves.

"Why aren't you married?" Hermione asked, generally curious.

Severus snuffed. "There's only ever been one woman for me and that didn't turn out too well."

"Lily? But it's been so long…"

"True love never dies." Severus' voice had a hint of bitterness in it.

"But Severus," Hermione placed her hand on his arm, desperate for him to take what she was going to say the right way. "Lily _is _dead."

Severus tensed up and looked at her bitterly "I know that. I was the one who found her."

Hermione let go of his arm and pulled away, feeling she had gone too far. "Look, I'm sorry okay?"

Severus took a deep breath and let his mind wander free. He closed his eyes and pictured the beautiful girl with red hair, who he went to school with all those years a go.

"I could never forget Lily. She was the most perfect girl I had ever seen. Her hair, her smile, her eyes… Every time I saw her, I felt the strongest pang in my heart. She was like something from a dream. She wasn't like me…her soul was clean. She had never done anything to anyone, which makes me all the more angry…"

Hermione looked at him, shocked by his revelation.

"The night I went to the Potter house, I had never been more terrified. My heart was thumping through my chest as I climbed the stairs. I saw James – dead, obviously. I then went to Harry's bedroom. I went inside and…my heart ripped in two. Lily was on the floor, completely lifeless. My body collapsed…I thought I was going to pass out. The child was screaming his head off and I wanted to do the same. I picked Lily up and held her, desperately trying to cling on to her and begging her not to leave me. But it was too late…she was gone…dead." Severus shut his eyes and put his hand over his face, feeling the pain once again.

Hermione felt tears well up and put her hand on her own face to hide them.

"That's heart-breaking," she said, her voice shaking.

Hermione's words brought Severus out of his trance. He watched her, slightly mortified by her reaction.

"I've never really spoken about this before. I don't mean to upset you," he said.

Hermione shook her head. "I'm upset for you."

Severus laughed bitterly. "Don't be. Pain is all I know. The last time I held Lily, I died with her inside…that was when my life stopped."

Hermione felt confused and slightly hurt by his words. "But these past few days here with you have been some of the best of my life! You make me feel more alive than I have been in a while. Don't I have any inspiration on you?"

Severus looked at her, feeling a bit selfish. "Of course you do."

"Severus, I know you can't hold Lily anymore, but…would you like to hold me instead?"

A rare smile crossed his face as he realised what Hermione was saying. He immediately took her into his arms and they held each other tight. They did not know how long the fantasy would last, but that night they just knew that everything felt perfect because they were together. The couple stayed lying in their embrace until sleep claimed them both.

**Aw The next chapter will mix things up a bit. Only I wont make Snape do the obscene thing that Bill Murray did - that was the only part in the film that really annoyed me!**


	11. Another woman

**Here's some more. I'm running a bit low on reviews, so all those that do now get a free sportscar…**

Severus could have stayed on the bed holding Hermione until the end of time, but unfortunately he had to go to work. He looked at the pretty young girl who was still sleeping in his arms and could hardly believe she was there with him. He held her like a fragile possession. It felt typical to him that she belonged to someone else.

He had never had such a connection with another person before. Hermione really felt for him when he told her about his past and this touched him. He was even more bewildered when she said how happy he had made her and it felt bazaar to him to be wanted.

He gently slid out of her grasp, careful not to wake her and got ready for work. He scribbled down a note for Hermione and left it on the bed in front of her.

"Goodbye, precious girl," he whispered, before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.

Severus threw on his jacket and quietly left the room, leaving Hermione to sleep. He went downstairs to the lobby and saw Yoko was waiting for him as usual.

"Good morning, Professor," Yoko said, in her usual chirpy way.

"Morning Yoko. I was thinking, tomorrow is Friday, isn't it?" Snape asked.

"Yes professor."

"Perhaps I will change my plans and do that talk at the university. There's no harm in staying a bit longer, is there?"

O

Hermione woke with a smile on her face. She sat up and looked around the room, noticing the Professor had gone. It was then that she saw the note:

_Dearest Hermione,_

_I had to go to work and I couldn't bear to wake you. Thank you so much for our sleep-over last night. I find you magnificent company. Hopefully fate will intertwine us again this evening – in other words, call me._

_Have a wonderful day and take care of yourself,_

_Severus x_

Hermione's cheeks went red and she felt the urge to frame the note. Suddenly everything seemed as though it was going well. She felt happy and was in need of adventure; to achieve something that day.

She got out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror. She almost kicked herself when she remembered what she was wearing – a pair of red-checked pyjama bottoms and an old t-shirt she got on holiday years ago with 'Majorca' on it. She was happy to wear them in the hotel corridors at half one in the morning when she came down to see Severus, yet she felt rather embarrassed to wonder around the hotel wearing them in broad daylight.

Hermione opened the hotel-room door, checked the coast was clear and made a run for it up to her room.

O

Hermione boarded the bullet train in Tokyo's main train station. She gazed at the beautiful Japanese countryside as it slipped past her at a phenomenal speed.

The train took her to Kyoto. It was more beautiful there than Hermione imagined. It was a rural place, far out of Tokyo.

One of the first things Hermione saw that took her breath away from a scenic lake with lily-pads floating on the top. The water was so clear that she could see her reflection in it. The lake was surrounded by pink flowers. For the first time, Hermione wondered why she would want to use magic again, when the world is as beautiful as it is.

Hermione continued to wander around and saw some kind of a ceremony. There was a line of people approaching a building and she realised she was at a shrine again. She stepped out of the way so not to interfere and watched from a short distance.

The line was lead by a couple. The woman was dressed like a Geisha. She had heavy white make-up on and was wearing a white kimono. Her hair was put up with sticks and she had flowers clipped in it. The man was dressed in a black kimono.

Hermione watched them enter the shrine and kneel down in front of a Shinto priest. It was then that Hermione realised they were getting married. As she watched them take what appeared to be their vows, she suddenly felt a huge sense of guilt.

O

Severus had made it back to the hotel at about half seven that night. Feeling quite hungry, he decided to go straight to the hotel restaurant. As he was leaving, his mobile phone rang.

Severus grinned when he saw who it was from. "Evening Hermione!"

Hermione could not share his excitement. "Hello Severus. I'm so sorry, but I can't see you this evening."

A black cloud appeared to have cowered over Severus. "Why not?"

"I took a bullet train out of Tokyo, just to travel around and see Kyoto. But there are delays and I'm stuck out here. I don't think I'm going to be back for some time."

The idea of Hermione being stranded in a strange place at night worried Severus, not that he knew what to do about it. "It's almost eight already! How long are you going to be out there?"

"I have no idea. But please don't worry about me. I'll take care of myself," Hermione said.

This did not assure Severus. "Promise me you will keep in touch."

"I will."

"And…get a cab straight back to the hotel after you've got the train home. You can't hang around the streets of Tokyo in the middle of the night, you wont live to see daylight."

"I will. Sorry Severus. Have a good night."

Hermione hung up and Severus glared at his phone. He sighed with disappointment and proceeded straight to the bar.

O

Severus sat at the bar, once again avidly smoking and drinking whiskey. He hardly noticed the act behind him. It was the same band that was playing the first night he got there, with the woman with bright red hair who was singing smooth jazz.

As the music came to an end, everyone in the bar clapped. The woman with red hair took a seat at the bar next to Severus and ordered champagne. He did not notice she was there until he felt her eyes staring at him.

"Hello. Are you American too?" She asked.

"No," Snape grunted. "I'm from…London."

"Ah London! I've performed there a few times. I know it well." She took a sip of her champagne.

Snape nodded, feebly trying to look interested.

"My name's Karina," she offered her hand out to him. Severus looked at it bewildered for a moment, not one for human contact so early on. When he finally took her hand, she grasped hold of it tightly.

"Nice to meet you," she said, with a bright smile.

O

Severus awoke the next morning, feeling extremely rough. It was obvious to him that he had a lot to drink last night.

He looked over to his table and saw an empty bottle of champagne with two empty glasses beside it. His face screwed up with confusion.

He was then surprised by a female voice. "Good morning!"

Severus almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Karina at the doorway of his bathroom, wearing a bathrobe.

He looked horrified. "Karina! You're here…in my room…we didn't…tell me we didn't…"

Karina laughed. "No! I slept on the couch. I was just way too drunk to find my way back to my room."

Severus shook his head. "How did you get here in the first place?"

"The bar was closing and we were still thirsty, so we came up here to raid your mini-bar. Don't you remember?"

Snape almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "No!"

"Wow. You really did have a have a lot to drink last night." Karina went back into the bathroom and started to wash her face.

Severus lay back down on his bed, feeling disbelief.

There was a knock at the door and Severus suddenly panicked. _Hermione! _He leapt out of bed and opened the door shouting to Karina, "I'll get it! You stay there."

Snape opened the door and saw Hermione grinning at him.

"What is it?" He asked. He looked down and noticed he was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

Hermione laughed. "Severus, I know we spent the other night together, so to speak, but I think you're going a bit…" Hermione's face suddenly fell. "Oh…"

Karina had joined Severus in the doorway. Hermione took a few steps back, suddenly feeling mortified. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I didn't realise you were…busy."

Severus wanted the ground to swallow him up. "No, this isn't…"

Hermione cut him off. "It's okay. I'll call you later."

Hermione hurried off. Severus shut the door and banged his head against it, feeling very guilty for her humiliation.

Karina laughed. "That was awkward! Who was she? Your daughter?"

Severus turned around and gave Karina an intense glare.


	12. Arguments

**Wow! Five sports-cars are on their way to HermioneFan28! Thanks for the reviews. You asked a lot of questions, so I'm writing a big message to you to answer them haha!**

**On with the story. It's coming to an end and I must admit, I'm still trying to decide what should happen. **

Severus looked at Karina and all of a sudden he hated her, yet he tried to stay calm.

"Karina, this slumber party is over. I really think you should go…right now!" Severus said, through gritted teeth. He stepped to the side and gestured towards the door.

Karina folded her arms, unimpressed. "If you don't want me up here, you shouldn't ask."

"I may have been drunk out of my skull last night, but I know how much of an anti-social git I am. I would not have wanted you up here and I'm quite sure you forced your way in by taking advantage of a pissed old man. Now if you don't mind, I have things to do." Severus once again gestured towards the door.

"I'm not even dressed properly." Karina moaned.

Severus took a deep sigh, ready to explode. He picked up her black velvet dress, which was crumpled on the floor and threw it to her. "You can get dressed on the way back to your room. Now get out of my room before I lose it!"

Karina gave him a look of death and left his room, slamming the door behind her. Severus sat down on his bed, burying his head in his hands. "Unbelievable!"

O

Hermione rushed back to her hotel room with a lump in her throat. She was suddenly sure that the special night she had spent with Severus had not meant so much to him, as the next night he had gone ahead and taken another woman up to his room and obviously had a more eventful time.

O

Severus regretted agreeing to do the talk, which was scheduled for that morning. Maybe it would have been better for him to have flown home that morning after all as Hermione was the only reason he wanted to stay in Japan. But he saw the hurt in Hermione's eyes when she saw Karina and wondered how he could bring himself to face her again.

He went and did the talk at the university, which was like a questions and answers conference. Severus tried to give the best answers he could, but his mind was elsewhere. Waiting for the student's questions to be translated by Yoko did not even annoy him. It seemed he had got used to his job in Tokyo, which was typical as it was his last day on it and he was about to leave.

O

Hermione reluctantly texted Severus and asked him to meet her for lunch at a restaurant she had found. She sat at a table on her own and waited for him to arrive, feeling a range of emotions. She looked at her watch and noticed he was late, to her annoyance. She never liked waiting on her own for people in public places for too long.

When Severus finally arrived, they greeted each other quite awkwardly. He sat down, looked at the menu and they sat in silence for a while. The atmosphere between them was extremely tense and Severus knew he had to break it somehow.

"Hermione, that can't have been nice to walk into…"

"It's fine," Hermione fired back, very abruptly.

Severus looked unconvinced. "Really?"

"Of course," Hermione said, with obvious anger in her voice. "You're young, free and single…well you're definitely free and single at least. Do what you want. She's more your age anyway."

As someone who suffered from a short-fuse himself, Severus tried to keep calm. "I'm not going to rise to that. All I can say is, be glad you're not in my potions class anymore."

"I certainly am glad I'm not in your potions class anymore. You were a complete bully! I found you nothing but intimidating and so did everyone else."

A smug smirk crossed Severus' face.

"Good," his voice rose slightly. "Because believe me, it was never my aspiration to be Mary bloody Poppins!"

Hermione scoffed. "Maybe it should have been. Even she does better magic than you do."

Snape sarcastically put on a sympathetic face. "What are you saying? Were you disappointed in life because I never taught you how to fly your umbrella?"

"Just…stop talking!" Hermione sulked and picked up her menu.

"Maybe you shouldn't start what you can't finish," Snape muttered.

A waitress came over and asked what they wanted to drink. Snape immediately asked for beer.

"Drinking a lot lately, aren't you Professor?" Hermione cheekily said.

"It's funny you should say that. It wasn't _me _with _my _head down the toilet the other morning," Severus mocked.

Hermione looked at him furious, whilst Severus spoke to the waitress. "Two diet cokes please. Mrs Weasley has a good point; I don't want to end up in the state she's been in lately."

The waitress grinned and went to get their drinks.

"You know, I'm practically on holiday here. So I can drink and enjoy myself while I'm away. It's not a crime," Hermione said, justifying herself.

"On holiday from what? You're unemployed," Snape sneered.

Hermione looked at him hurt, like he had just slapped her face. He noticed this and instantly regretted what he had said, as he knew he had hit a nerve.

Severus put his hand over his face and sighed. "Oh Merlin! That really was a cheap shot. Let's just stop this tedious bickering, shall we?"

Hermione still looked sad, but nodded and continued to look at the menu.

O

That night, Hermione lay in her bed, sorely regretting the way things had ended between her and Severus. She was unsure whether she would see him again and felt they were parting on bad terms.

Hermione turned over and buried her head into the pillow, feeling upset. She was about to drift into sleep when she heard a loud ringing.

She groaned. "Not that again!"

O

The hotel policy says visitors are not permitted to use the lifts during a fire alarm, so it took Hermione a long time to go down the many flights of stairs. She felt rather tired as she stood outside the hotel in her dressing gown and pyjamas. She would have felt embarrassed to be dressed in such a way, if many other people were not dressed in night-clothes also.

Hermione looked to her side and noticed a man in a kimono looking over at her. A few seconds later, he started to come over to see her. _It couldn't be!_

Until the end of her days, Hermione swore she would always remember her old potions professor dressed as a Japanese man. Severus stood in front of her and shrugged, as if to say, _this is what I wear in bed. So what?_

Hermione's face grew into a relieved smile. She chuckled, "that was the most terrible lunch."

Severus nodded. "I know. Talk about bad service."

"I know, right?" Hermione grinned, happy he had also appeared to cool off from his mood.

The couple took a moment and seemed to silently forgive each other, both of them letting the other know with their eyes. The fire alarm stopped ringing, but neither of them seemed to acknowledge this as they were both engrossed with each other.

Severus sighed. "Hermione…I didn't sleep with that girl. I don't know where to start to explain it all, because the truth itself sounds ridiculous. I can only ask you to trust me. I did not sleep with her."

"I do trust you." Hermione was not sure why, but she could just tell he was being honest.

"Thank you."

Hermione sighed. "I had no right to be jealous. I'm married."

"You are," Severus replied, glumly. "But I was unforgivably nasty. I feel…these past few days you've trusted me not to be the cruel person I used to be and I betrayed that today. I promise you, I never meant a word of the nasty things I said."

"I know, Severus. You're defensive is all."

"I don't want to be defensive anymore. I've been tied up in bitterness for so long and I'm tired of it. I want to let it all go. You've shown me that."

The couple exchanged eye-contact. Severus blushed, feeling embarrassed for showing his appreciation for someone - something he rarely did. Hermione observed his nervous, meaningful smile and and felt surprised to see him look so vulnerable; it was a rare sight. All of a sudden, she felt great affection for him. Maybe it was a stupid idea for her to get so close.

"Are you leaving me tomorrow, Severus?"

"I am," he answered, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Hermione took a deep sigh. "I'm really going to miss you, professor."

Severus chuckled. "That's not something I hear often."

Hermione ignored this. "Because when you leave and Ron comes back, I feel like I'm going back to reality again…and I hate it."

Severus did not want to interfere with Hermione's personal life. He took her hand. "So let's carry on our fantasy for one more night…just one more night."

Hermione smiled and nodded as Severus led her back to the hotel.

**Hmmm…how to end it?**


	13. Goodbyes

It was the same old bar, with the same jazzy music and the same city view from the large windows. Yet to Hermione and Severus, it seemed different tonight. They sat facing each other at a small table, each with a small glass of Sake.

Not wanting to waste any time of their last night together, they simply went to their rooms and put a coat over their night-things, not bothering to be get fully changed. No-one noticed at the bar and even if they did, Severus and Hermione were oblivious to other people.

Severus spotted a hint of sadness in Hermione's eyes as she gazed aimlessly around the bar. He reached across the table and gently took her hand. She responded by smiling, though still with sadness in her eyes.

"Severus?"

"Yes, my dear?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Can we see each other again in London?"

Severus sighed and looked regretful. "No. That's not a good idea."

"Just as friends? I need a friend right now. I've never felt so lonely before."

Severus looked more sad, but firm. "Then I'm very sorry, my girl."

Hermione despairingly let go of his hand and buried her face in hers. "This isn't fair!"

Severus leant forward and spoke in a harsh whisper. "Can't you see our friendship wouldn't be what it was if it was something that could last? We wouldn't work…we couldn't take this further. This is something between us; right here and now. It could not happen any other time or place. Think of the situation back home. Think of how we're different worlds, different people. Think of your marriage!"

"I don't want to."

"You have to! You've grown up now. This is life. It's hard. You have to make the right decision. We just…can't see each other anymore."

Hermione put her hands on the table and faced him, pleadingly. "I only want to stay friends."

Severus gave her a half-smile. "I'll always be your friend. My…feelings for you will never change. If it's any consolation, the last thing I want to do tomorrow is go home."

"Stay here then. We'll build a new life."

It took Severus a second or two to wonder if Hermione was joking, but he chuckled anyway. He gently caressed Hermione's left cheek with his right hand, something he could never recall doing before to anyone. "Sweet Hermione. Not such a know-it-all anymore, are you? Just plain wonderful instead."

Hermione looked surprised. "Really?"

"Of course. You dug me out of my grave, so to speak. Made me want to live again. That's an achievement!"

"Have I broken the Lily-spell?"

Severus chuckled at Hermione's naivety and wondered the best way to answer. "I suppose…I am more able let her go now. Celebrate that she lived, rather than mourn that she died."

Hermione smiled. "That's a breakthrough. Severus… do you see how I make you happy? Why would you want me to leave your life again?"

"Hermione! You miss my point completely. This isn't what I want, it's just what needs to happen." Severus took a deep breath and slumped back in his chair. "It's our last night. Let's not argue any more."

Hermione nodded, defeated. Until late into the night, Hermione and Severus sat talking, not wanting the time to end. At half one in the morning, they decided to finally turn in and go back to their hotel rooms. They simply exchanged kisses on the cheek, without wanting to be too morose. Severus promised Hermione he would call her in the morning before he left for London and then retreated to his room. He lay awake in the darkness for most of the night, feeling a sense of unease deep in his heart. He could not dare to tell Hermione the extent of how much he would miss her and he desperately did not want to go home.

O

Severus got out of bed and took one last look out of the window at the stunning Tokyo skyline, as if to mentally say goodbye to the extraordinary place before he left. Reluctantly, he got dressed and ready to leave. He finished gathering his things together and sorted anything else that needed packing.

He opened his hotel room door and wheeled his suitcase into the corridor. He took a last look at his room before shutting the door and proceeding to the lift.

O

Hermione was woken by her mobile phone beeping. She looked at it and saw she had a text message. It read:

_Surprise! I'm all finished and on my way back. I should see you tonight I hope! Love ya! Ron x_

Hermione put the phone down and wished she could be more happy. At least this meant should would not feel left alone.

O

Severus sat with his luggage in the lobby. He had arranged for an airport cab to get him and the hotel reception told him it would be with him in half an hour. He had already called Hermione and she said she would be down soon, but time was getting on and Severus was getting nervous she would miss him.

Yoko came and approached Severus and shook his hand, avidly. "Professor Snape, thank you so much for your work at the university."

Severus stood up. "You're welcome Yoko. It was nice of you to come and say goodbye."

"Of course! And they tell me your car is ready for you."

Severus swallowed. "It is?"

"Yes, ready to take you to the airport." Yoko smiled.

"Well, the thing is I was just…"

"Severus?" He heard a voice from behind him and to his relief he saw the pretty face of Hermione.

Severus turned to Yoko. "Can you tell them I just need a minute?"

"Not too long, Professor." Yoko went and spoke to his driver outside.

Severus and Hermione looked at each other for a while, wanting to hold on to the moment.

"You're going right now?" Hermione said, although it was more of a statement than a question.

"It seems so." They looked at each other silently for a moment, not knowing what to say. Severus shrugged. "Are you going to wish me a good journey?"

"Yes! Have a safe trip." Hermione said, slightly sad.

Yoko came running back to them. "Professor, the driver is busy and can't wait. You have to come now."

"Alright Yoko!" Severus said, agitated. He looked at Hermione apologetically before they exchanged goodbyes and walked in the opposite direction, Yoko guiding him by the arm. Severus kept looking around to get brief last glimpses of Hermione before leaving the hotel.

O

Around fifteen minutes later, Severus was in the back of a cab and stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the city centre. He found it depressing as at this point he felt he just wanted to leave as quick as possible.

He looked out of the window in to a shopping are and saw a familiar blue coat. He looked closer, putting his face right up to the window and saw that this person was facing away from him. He saw a recognisable slender body and a very familiar mane of golden curly hair.

He turned around and alerted the driver. "Wait!"

**One more chappy to go. I'm STILL not totally sure how to end it. REVIEW! xx**


	14. A final lesson

Severus jumped out of the taxi and started after Hermione, frustratingly dodging the many people who got in his way. Eventually he was near enough to grab hold of Hermione's arm. She gasped as a strong force spun her around from behind and left her face to face with the Professor, who she was sure had gone for good.

Hermione saw his face and her heart skipped a beat, stunned to see him. They took a moment just to look at each other before Hermione let out a small cry of emotion and fell into his arms. Severus hugged her tight, almost lifting her off the floor. She buried her face into his chest while he gently caressed her brown curls.

They stayed in the embrace for a while before Severus felt Hermione's breathing calm down.

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. "I love you deeply. I have one more lesson for you."

Hermione put her head back slightly and looked in his eyes, intrigued. He held the back of the neck and carefully pulled her back in, whispering a couple more sentences.

Hermione replied, "okay."

Severus put his hand under her chin and tipped her head up, guiding her into a passionate kiss, which made Hermione feel extremely giddy. When the couple drew apart, Hermione looked at him with tears in her eyes. Severus smiled kindly and shook his head, as if to say _don't be sad._

He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her forehead before whispering, "goodbye."

"Goodbye Professor," Hermione croaked.

Severus nodded, satisfied this time with their split. He turned around and headed back to the taxi.

Unable to watch Severus walk away from her once again, Hermione turned her back and stared into oblivion, ignorant to the hustle and bustle of the busy Tokyo streets around her.

Severus made the short walk back to the taxi, feeling a lot less tense. He opened the door and sat back down in his seat. He turned to the driver and said, "alright…"

As Severus' taxi sped away, Hermione stayed standing where he had left her. A smile crossed her face, for she was no longer lost and knew what she must do…

**A bit of a cliffy ending! I gave away part of the whisper, but added more because I loved how it was mysterious in the film. I have an idea as to what the second part Severus said was, but I want you to make up your own mind. It really could be anything: **

**I hope you enjoyed your Japanese holiday with Hermione and Severus! I might still pick at this. If you liked it/were not sure about aspects of it or have anything else to comment on, please do still review. You will make my day! Xxx**


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